ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, June 28, 1990                   TAG: 9006280065
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: C-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By John Smallwood Sportswriter
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

SOCCER COMPETITION SHOULD BE A KICK

NOTE: This is another in a continuing series of previews on the first Virginia CorEast State Games, scheduled July 5-8 in the Roanoke Valley. Today's sport: Soccer.

Like all of the sports coordinators in the Virginia CorEast State Games, soccer organizer Danny Beamer hasn't had the easiest of times putting things together.

"It was tough getting this organized," said Beamer, who has had plenty of experience setting up tournaments as executive director of the Roanoke Valley Youth Soccer Club.

"Being a brand new thing, the hardest part is getting people to understand what we were trying to do. A lot people didn't understand what the State Games were about. It was easy in Roanoke because it was happening here, but in the other parts of the state . . . . However, once people understood the concept, it started going."

The soccer competition is scheduled for July 6-8 at River's Edge Sports Complex. Beamer said he expects to have tournaments for men in the Under 12, Under 14, Under 16, Under 19 and Open (collegiate and adult) age divisions. He said there also will be Under 16, Under 19 and Open divisions for women.

Each division will have four teams of all-stars, who were selected through tryout camps. They are the West (Southwest Virginia area), North (Northern Virginia area), East (Tidewater area) and Central (Richmond area).

"Most of the youth players will be from traveling clubs," Beamer said. "We also have a lot of adult teams in the state that are playing a very high level of soccer. This should be a very interesting division."

The tournament is set up for round-robin competition to be played on July 6. The teams then will be seeded into medal-round play July 7-8.

The West's Under 19 team is a who's who of area soccer. Included on the squad is Michael Eddy, the Timesland Player of the Year from Patrick Henry, plus All-Timesland selections Dustin Fonder (North Cross), Bobby Ashworth (Cave Spring), Shawn Niday (William Byrd), John Cheynet (Blacksburg) and Craig Bagby (Martinsville). The team also has some of the top players from the Lynchburg area. 


 by CNB